Robert Blake, Black Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 4: Sadly, Not Much is Known on the Rest of His Life

Blake was later promoted to seaman and re-enlisted in the Navy for another term.    During his second  enlistment, he served  again on the USS Vermont.

Sadly, nothing more is known about his life.

I looked him up on the Find A Grave site and they have an entry on him which says that his birth date, date of death and place of burial are all unknown.

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His Medal of Honor citation reads:  "On board the U.S. Steam Gunboat Marblehead off Legareville, Stono River, 25 December 1863, in an engagement with  the enemy on John's Island.  Serving the rifle gun, Blake, an escaped slave, carried out his duties bravely throughout the whole engagement which resulted in the enemy's  abandonment of positions, leaving  a caisson and one gun behind."

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--Old B-Runner

Robert Blake, Black Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 3: "There Is No Hiding Space Here"

Blake then went to the ship's gun deck and was immediately knocked down by an exploding Confederate shell.  The explosion had killed a nearby powder-boy bringing powder and ammunition to a gun.  Blake, being a steward to his commander had not been assigned combat duty and could have retreated to the relative safety of the below decks area.

Instead, he stripped to the waist and began running powder boxes to the gun loaders.

When Lt. Cmdr. Meade asked him what he was doing, he replied:  "Went down to the rocks to hide my face, but the rocks said there is no hiding space here.  So here I am, Sir."

The Confederates eventually abandoned their position, leaving a gun behind.

Blake was awarded  the Medal of Honor four months later.

Quite an Accomplishment for a Former Slave.  --Old Secesh

Robert Blake, Black Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 2: A Surprise on the Stono

Robert Blake was born into slavery  in Virginia.  He somehow ended up South Carolina.  In June 1862, his owner's plantation was burned during  a Union expedition  up the Santee River.  About 400 slaves from his plantation were taken aboard a Union ship as contraband.  They were sent to North Island in Winyah Bay, S.C..

While on North Island Blake answered the call for twenty single men to serve on the USS Vermont, an old U.S. ship of the line serving as a receiving ship at Port Royal, South Carolina.

By December 1863, he had been transferred to the USS Marblehead and was serving as a steward to Lt.Cmdr.  Richard Worsam Meade.  Early in the morning of December 25, while the Marblehead was cruising in the Stono River, the ship came under fire of a Confederate howitzer at Legareville on Johns Island.

Meade jumped from his bed and ran onto the quarterdeck to give the order to return fire, Blake followed him, handed him his uniform, and urged him to change out of his night clothes.

--Old B-Runner

Robert Blake, Black Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 1

From the September 29, 2020, The Penn "End of the month brought historical events, landmarks to the U.S." by Heather Bair.

1864

Black soldier given Medal of Honor for first time.

Robert Blake served as a Union sailor during the Civil War and was the first Black to receive the Medal of Honor.  However, he was not the first black person to perform an action that would get him a Medal of Honor.  That honor belongs to William Harvey Carney, but he did not receive the medal until 1900.

During the Civil War, Robert Blake served aboard the USS Marblehead, where he served as a steward to Lieutenant Commander Richard Worsam Meade.

On Christmas Day 1863, a Confederate cannon opened fire on the Marblehead.  Not being a combatant, Blake could have retreated to aa place of more safety, but didn't.  He went onto the deck, where he was knocked off his feet by an exploding shell.  A powder boy had been killed by the explosion and Blake started doing his duties.

After receiving his Medal of Honor, Blake was promoted to seaman and enlisted for another tour of duty.

--Old B-Runner

USS Baltimore-- Part 3: Multi Service During the War

The Baltimore was seized by the Union Army on the Potomac River on April 21, 1861, and turned over to the Navy department where it was commissioned the same month with Lieutenant J.H. Russell in command.

During the Civil War, the Baltimore was used as an ordnance vessel between the Washington Navy Yard and  nearby ammunition depots.  She was also used to ferry Army troops across the Potomac River.

On 19 May 1861, she ran aground at the mouth of the Potomac and was attacked by a Confederate Navy ram.  Nine people were killed.  She was refloated with the assistance of the USS  Mount Vernon (was at both Battles of Fort Fisher).

After that, the Baltimore saw some service with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as a dispatch and supply vessel.

On May 9, 1862, she transported President Abraham Lincoln and Secretaries  Edwin M. Stanton and Salmon P. Chase, from Fort Monroe to Norfolk, Virginia, to get a close up view of the  destroyed Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia.

The Baltimore was turned over to Norfolk Navy Yard on May 22, 1865, and sold on June  24, 1865, at Washington, D.C.

--Old B-Runner

USS Baltimore-- Part 2: Built in Philadelphia and Captured By U.S. Army on Potomac River in 1861

From Wikipedia.

Sidewheel steamer.

Launched 1848.  Acquired by capture  April 21, 1861.  Commissioned April 186.1 Decommissioned May 22, 1865.  Sold June 24, 1865.

500 tons 200 feet long, 26.8 foot beam

Armament  one 32-pounder smoothbore gun.

The Baltimore was built in 1848 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and captured on the Potomac River between Aquia Creek and Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Army on April 21, 1861.

--Old B-Runner

First Battle of Fort Fisher Ended Christmas Day 1864

Continued from today's entry in my Saw the Elephant blog.  Go to the My Blogs section by scrolling down to the right of this.

The next day, 23rd, and on Christmas Eve, 24th, the Union fleet, largest ever assembled by the U.S. until WW II, pounded the fort mercilessly, expending some 10,000 shells each day.  

On Christmas Day, the fleet moved a lot of its fire to the area north of the fort to prepare the way for the landing of Army troops.  They did come ashore only to determine that the fort was still, despite that three day bombardment, too strong to be taken.

Most of the troops reboarded their transports and left.  Several hundred were left on shore, but later gotten off safely.

The fleet returned in January and this time the joint Army-Navy assault succeeded, closing the Confederacy's last link with the outside world.  Lee surrendered less than three months later.

--Old B-Runner

The USS Baltimore-- Part 1: The Third Ship to Carry That Name in U.S. Navy

The ship that Abraham Lincoln went to and back from City Point, Va., was the USS Baltimore.  It was not one of the better known ships of the war.

From Wikipedia.

There were two other USS Baltimore's before the one that served during the Civil War.

The first one was a 12-gun brigantine that served in the Continental Navy from 1777 to 1780.

The second USS Baltimore was a 20-gun ship built in 1798.  Two British frigates impressed 55 of its crew members in 1798.

The USS Baltimore that carried President Lincoln in 1864 was the third ship with the name.

--Old B-R'er

Lincoln's 1864 City Point Trip-- Part 16: Another Soldier's Account of the President

Frank Johnson, a soldier with the 142nd New York Infantry Regiment (which took part at the Battles of Fort Fisher) witnessed the visit from Abraham Lincoln during the visit to Butler's troops at Bermuda Hundred and recollected in 1914:

"Lad that I was, the expression I then saw on his [Lincoln's] face has never left me.  Anxiety, pity, love, courage, and faith, were all depicted there, showing that he was a man of sorrow, and one carrying a heavy burden.

"When our boys raised up and gave him a real old St. Lawrence county cheer, his face lighted up, his eyes brightened, and I am sure his faith was strengthened that he would be permitted to bring his people out of the wilderness of war, and into the shining path of peace."

President Abraham Lincoln returned to City Point, Virginia, to confer with U.S. Grant in March of 1865, shortly before his death.

--Old B-Runner

Lincoln's Trip-- Part 15: Return to Washington, D.C.

Gustavus Fox wrote:  "Our return back [to Washington] was smooth and pleasant and the President himself delighted."

It appears the Baltimore's return passage wasn't as speedy as the trip down.  City Point accounts have Lincoln departing late in the afternoon and Washington observers have him returning mid-to-late afternoon the next day, making the travel time roughly 22-24 hours.

Perhaps navigating on the Potomac after dark wasn't as safe as on the more open Chesapeake Bay on the way down, forcing the Baltimore to anchor for a couple hours near the river's mouth until it was light enough to proceed.

--Old B-Runner

Lincoln's Trip-- Part 14: "Who Goes There?" "Abraham Lincoln"

As the large party approached the camp of the 130th Ohio, a sentry yelled out "Who goes there?"  A voice from the group answered "Abraham Lincoln."

For the rest of his life, that sentry, Fred Balmos was sure that it was Abraham Lincoln himself who answered.  He, needless to say, told the story often.

According to Dana Fox, the group, led by Gen. Butler, dined at a point on the Appomattox River called the Point of Rocks and afterwards, took a boat on the river and went to City Point where the president met with General Grant.

Grant didn't have much conclusive information for his president at this point of the campaign.  Horace Porter, years later, recalled Lincoln as saying:  I cannot pretend to advise, but I do sincerely hope that all may be accomplished with as little bloodshed as possible."

It turned out the rest of the operations outside weren't without some bloodshed, but at least it was not as bad as those casualties during the just-ended Overland Campaign.

The Guy Who Challenged Abe.  --Old B-Runner

Lincoln's 1864 City Point Trip-- Part 13: Further Observations 'Here's Old Abe, and Beast Butler'

Still riding through Gen. Butler's men on Bermuda Hundred, then came several artillery encampments.

**  A New Jersey gunner thought Lincoln "a very plain man."

**  A Connecticut artilleryman was surprised at how "awkward and even peculiar the President looked to us."

The sudden appearance of Lincoln's party caught the Connecticut battery sentry by surprise and he blurted out,  "Great God!  Turn out the guard!!  here's Old Abe, and Beast Butler."

So Even His Troops Called Him "Beast Butler."  --Old B-Runner

Lincoln's City Point Trip 1864-- Part 12: 'Burden of the War Upon His Shoulders'

Still writing about President Lincoln's meeting General Butler's troops at Bermuda Hundred during his trip to City Point, Virginia, to meet with General Grant.

Many of Butler's troops were the ones involved in the attacks on Fort Fisher, so that makes them of particular interest to me.

Some other observations of the President from the ranks:

**  "A tall gaunt sad man, he seemed to have the burden of the war upon his shoulders, as he stopped to speak to some of us, where we sat, shaking but trying to write home and tell the folks, once again, we are safe."

**  "...a very ordinary looking personage... he is a man  that cannot be judged by his looks."

**  Another soldier wrote that he an his companions "greeted the immortal President with enthusiastic cheers."

--Old B-Runner

Lincoln's 1864 Trip to City Point-- Part 11: The Careworn, Troubled and Haggard President and the Hat Incident

Again, I am writing about what these soldiers had to say about Lincoln because their regiment participated at the Battle of Fort Fisher.

Two other soldiers who saw Lincoln that day noted the president appeared "careworn," while another added "even to haggardness" and the other "troubled."

The tall hat caused another incident when it was brushed off Lincoln's head by a  low-hanging tree branch.  "there were a dozen young officers whose duty it was to get it and give it back to the president," Asst. Sec. of the War Charles Dana remembered, "but Admiral Lee was off his horse before any of those young chaps, and recovered the hat for the President.  Admiral Lee must have been forty-five or fifty years old.  It was his agility that impressed me so much."

--Old B-Runner

Lincoln's 1864 Trip to City Point, Va.-- Part 10: Like 'A Monitor's Turret Coming Overland'

President Lincoln then rode through the lines of Gen. Benjamin Butler's Army of the James at Bermuda Hundred.  Many of these soldiers took part in the two Battles of Fort Fisher, so I will write down some of their observations of their commander-in-chief.

One of the first camps they encountered was that of the 117th New York, where a soldier named John Humphrey recorded:  "Prisedent Lincen and Gen Buttler rode along the lines visiting the troops."  Another wrote his father the next day that there "is quite an object now for him to be familiar with the soldiers," probably referring to the upcoming elections in November as well as the huge losses Grant's Overland Campaign had experienced so fat in 1864.

Soldiers in the camp of the 7th Connecticut, another regiment that took part in the Fort Fisher Expeditions, had their fun when first spotting Lincoln toward them on his horse with his tall hat, joking that "it was a monitor's turret coming overland."

Especially if the mounted Lincoln was coming over the top of a hill and that was the first you saw of him.

That Top Hat Did Resemble a Monitor's Turret.  --Old B-Runner

The Day of Infamy 79 Years Ago: Remembering Pearl Harbor Survivor Wayne Rader

From the December 6, 2020, LimaOhio.com "Jim Krumel:  Remembering a Pearl Harbor survivor" by Jim Krumel.

Wayne Rader died twelve years ago.  He was just a regular guy who worked for the city of Lima  A dad, who with his wife Elsie, raised eight children in Lima.

He was also a Pearl Harbor survivor.  

For the longest time, he wouldn't talk about it.  It wasn't until a few years before his death in 2008, that he started talking about it.  When he did, his children wrote what he said down for posterity.

He was still a teenager when he entered the Army in March 1940.  Three months later he was assigned to  the 27th Infantry Regiment at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii.  It was heaven to be stationed there until December 7, 1941, when it turned to hell.

Wayne Rader was on the second floor porch of the barracks listening for then bugler to sound church call when he saw the first two planes fly through the pass near Schofield Barracks.  He thought this to be an odd time for a training mission until he heard explosions coming from the area near Pearl Harbor.

Planes strafed Schofield Barracks on their way to Wheeler Field.

He remembered seeing rows and rows of body bags.

--Pearl Harbor

Fort Sumter Has Sharp Decline in Attendance-- Part 3: Of History, Statues and Murders

South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union in 1860 and was one of the founding members of the Confederacy.  The attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, was the first major engagement of the Civil War.  Many battles were fought in the Palmetto State and monuments and memorials are located in many towns and cities.

Notably, the Confederate Defenders statue at the Battery in downtown  Charleston that faces Fort Sumter was spray-painted and vandalized (hate crime)  during the protests this summer and has often been the focal point between BLMers and counter protesters.

Fort Sumter spokesperson Dawn Davis says it is impossible to know for certain  if the people are not visiting because of its ties to the Confederacy, but encourages people to come out and learn about the fort and engage with park rangers.

Fort Sumter has addressed the site's Confederate past before.  

Following the murders of the nine black parishioners at the Emmanuel AME Church  in 2015, only the current 50-star U.S. flag flies above the fort.

Additionally, the Park Service issued a directive removing Confederate flag items such as banners, belt buckles and other souvenirs from the gifts shops.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Sumter Has Sharp Decline in Attendance-- Part 2: Closures, Reductions and Rioting

The main decrease in attendance, however, is directly linked to the closure of the site for four months because of the pandemic.  Fort Sumter and other National Parks in South Carolina were closed on March  18 and Fort Sumter didn't reopen  to guests until the beginning of June.

The only way to get to Fort Sumter is by the boat shuttles which had their trips cut back to five trips a day with 142 visitors because of social distancing.  The boat company doing this, Spirit Line Cruises, has an exclusive deal with the NPS to provide the trips to the fort.  They have installed hand sanitizing stations on their ships and boarding areas.

But, another problem causing the attendance drops would be the racial unrest, riots, burnings and attacks on Confederate monuments stemming from the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.  The so-called "Woke" movement.

Downtown Charleston has been the scene of numerous confrontations and a destructive night of rioting with vandalism in late May.

--Old B-R'er

Fort Sumter Has Sharp Decline in Visitors During the Pandemic and Racial Problems-- Part 1

From the November 28, 2020, Charleston (S.C.)  Post and Courier  "Fort Sumter sees sharp decline in visitors amid COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice year" by Thomas Novelly.

Fort Sumter National Monument has seen a huge decline in visitors compared to last year partly due to the coronavirus but also  because of the situation with Confederate monuments and racial equality.

Monthly visits are down 60% this year compared to the same time frame last year according to data from the National Park Service (NPS).

Between January and  September 2019,  more than 700,000 visitors came to the site at the mouth of Charleston Harbor which is considered to be where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Between January and September this year, that number has dropped to  a little more than 270,000.  The NPS counts the number of visitors as the  visits to both Fort Sumter as well as Fort Moultrie and Liberty Square.  Liberty Square contains the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center.

I'm sure there are more people going to the latter two because they can be reached by land nd Fort Sumter requires a boat trip at about $21 apiece.

--B-Runner

To City Point and Bermuda Hundred-- Part 9: The Crow's Nest and Greeting

After a quick greeting with some of the Malvern's officers, the president "accompanied by Ass't Secretary Fox and A.R. Admiral Lee landed at Lookout Tree Landing."  The landing was just below where a Union lookout tower nicknamed "The Crow's Nest" would later be built.  Once up the slope, the group took horses and rode across Gen. Butler's lines. 

There is a picture of the Crow's Nest in the distance behind the monitor USS Mahopac in the James River.  The Mahopac would later take part in the attacks on Fort Fisher. (See picture to the right of this.)

The troops the party encountered were almost entirely from Butlers X Corps.  And, unlike the day before, Lincoln's visit was anticipated.  The soldiers turned out to see their commander in chief.

One Connecticut soldier, likely from the 6th or 7th Connecticut (who later took part in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher) wrote: "We were apprised that our worthy President, Abraham Lincoln, was near us and all that were not engaged on duty were ordered to appear near the regimental quarters and render a proper salute."

All That Fort Fisher Connection.  Yes!!  --Old B-Runner